Together We Stand
by Runnow11
Summary: Before there was Tomas or Teresa, there was Ivan and Ira, two siblings sent into the Glade. They find themselves in a place filled with adventure, mystery, and maybe even love. Read on as they fight through the Maze and try to stay together in the process. This is my first fanfic, so please please please review!
1. Prologue

**Prologue **

Thomas and Teresa watched as the WICKED guards hefted the tall boy into the box, Ivan, subject A20, would be going into the Glade today and Thomas was interested to see what would happen. He turned away from the boy and looked out the window, on the other side, outside the room, stood a young girl. The girl looked exactly like Ivan, just she was smaller with lighter blonde hair; she was subject B21, she was supposed to go into the Glade next month.

Thomas watched as her green eyes filled with tears and she buried her face into her hands. Thomas knew that it was for the better of the world, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Thomas turned to Teresa who was jotting down something on a clipboard.

"Why is that girl so sad?" He asked quietly.

"That's Ira, she is Ivan's little sister." Teresa replied without even looking up.

"How much younger?"

"Only about 18 months."

Thomas returned his gaze to the girl, but this time she wasn't crying, her eyes were filled with something else… anger. She suddenly leapt through the door and ran at Thomas.

"Ira!" Thomas yelled, "Calm down!"

"You can't take him away from me." She screamed

"Ira, listen, this is for the cure, think of the cure."

She ignored him and drove a fist into his jaw, Thomas collapsed to the floor and Ira barrelled into the guards. Teresa quickly turned to the box's control panel to close the doors, but she was to late. The guard sidestepped Ira and she crashed into the inner wall of the box, hitting her head and falling to the floor.

With that, the box began its journey upwards.

"What are we going to do?" Thomas screamed as he sat up.

"It's ok," Teresa promised, "we can use the control chip in her brain to wipe her memory. Who knows, this could make things a lot more interesting." Teresa rushed off to go wipe the girls memory, but Thomas was frozen. That girl needed her brother some much that she was willing to go into the Glade early for him.

_Wow I guess they really shouldn't be separated._


	2. Chapter 1

**Ivan's POV**

My eyes snapped open, revealing only darkness. My head throbbed and my throat burned. I rummaged through my mind looking for any explanation as to where I was or why I was there… or even who I was.

_Ivan my name is Ivan._

I jumped in slightly surprise at the loose memory. I scanned the room, well box really, for anything that could help me. Using the wall for support, I stood up slowly and felt along the sides. The box lurched forward and I fell to the ground, by head landed on something squishy.

"Owww." It moaned, "What the hell?" I scrambled away from the voice, backing up against the wall.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"M-my name's Ira, I h-have no idea where I am." The person stammered, I instantly assumed they were a girl from the sound of their voice.

"It's ok, I have no idea where we are either." I replied.

"But, I don't remember anything."

"Me neither." We sat in silence for a while as the box continued upwards, it was comforting knowing that I wasn't alone; at least this girl and I were confused together.

"Do you think we should look for a way out?" Ira asked, breaking the silence. Just as she said it, light flooded the box from the top. I squinted and turned away, letting my eyes adjust slowly, when I turned around again, I saw the girl for the first time. She was very small with light blonde hair and Freckles dotted her pale cheeks just below vibrant green eyes. Seeing her made me wonder what I looked like, I couldn't remember a thing about myself.

"What's going on?" Ira asked, her voice full of worry. I didn't even bother responding because I had no idea, but I did get a sudden pang in my heart, like I needed to comfort her.

"It's ok, we just need to-"

"Great another newbie." A voice from above cut me off.

"I told you, I bet they come every month."

"Well open up the doors and get him out." The ceiling separated and the new light blinded me once more.

"Holy shucking hell." A boy said as his eyes fell on Ira and me

"What is it?"

"There's two, there's two newbies."

"What? That's not possible!"

"Oh that's not half of it, one's a shucking girl."

My eyes finally adjusted and revealed a group of boys hovering over the box, every last one of them staring at the small girl next to me.

"Two newbies?" Some one asked.

"A girl?" someone else muttered

"Is she cute?"

"Stop your staring ya shanks, get them out." A dark skinned boy ordered. A rope dropped into the box and a blonde boy motioned for us to grab it.

"C'mon up greenies." The blonde offered. I shot a glance to Ida and she gave a hesitant nod. I stood up slowly and grabbed to rope, I climbed up carefully, not wanting to fall on Ira. When I was up I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it was a beautiful and huge place, there were buildings, an animal pen, and even there was even a small forest area. The ground was coated in bright green grass and the sky was a brilliant shade of blue. The most amazing thing was the gigantic walls that surrounded the area.

"Welcome to the glade." The dark skinned boy said, "Name's Alby, what's yours greenie."

I turned and faced the boy; I was about his height so our eyes met. "Where the hell am I?" I ordered my voice was much stronger than I felt.

"Calm down, I know you don't remember anything, neither do the rest of us, we'll explain later, now isn't the time for questions."

My eyes scanned the crowd of people in front of me, they were teenagers, they looked grimy and tired, liked they had worked all day without much of a break. Then it hit me, they were boys, all of them, there wasn't one girl in the whole crowd. My eyes fell to Ira and she seemed to be noticing the same thing.

"Am I the only…" She trailed.

"Girl?" The blonde boy asked, "Yep, that's right greenie."

"Ira." She corrected

"Ah, well my name is Newt and you are greenie for a while."

"Listen." Alby cut it, "I know this is all very confusing, but we will explain tomorrow. Now I know you must be hungry, so why don't you guys go get some food? Newt here will show you all to the kitchen."

I nodded hesitantly and followed behind the blonde kid, as he led Ida and me to the kitchen I stared across the Glade, wondering why in the world they needed such huge walls. What were they trying to keep out?

**Ira's POV**

As we walked into the kitchen, I stared straight ahead, not wanting to show the boys how scared I was. The first boy I met, Ivan, seemed very nice. He was very tall with animated green eyes and dirty blonde hair. The other boy, Newt, also seemed fairly nice, but the fact that I was the only girl scared the crap out of me.

Newt returned from the kitchen with 3 sandwiches and sat down on the ground next to Ivan and I. "You know," he said between bites of his sandwich. "I know you shanks don't remember what you look like, but I am pretty sure you to are related."

"What?" Ivan asked.

"I mean, the both of ya have got bright green eyes and blonde hair, though yours is darker than hers. And, I dunno, you just look an awful lot alike. She looks younger though, so I don't think you're twins."

I looked at Ivan, I mean… I really looked hard. I did feel a strange connection towards him, like I could trust him, but how could I not remember my own brother?

"I could be wrong, it's just thought." Newt said. "Listen, I gotta run, Alby can't run the Glade by himself. I'll send some one over to show you greenies where to sleep and what not." With that he got up and ran off, I noticed, for the first time, that he had a small limp, I wondered how he got that.

"Wow," Ivan huffed. "Do you think we could really be related?"

"I don't know, I do feel like I have a connection with you."

"Same. Is that super weird?"

"Well, this whole thing is super weird."

He nodded and continued eating his sandwich. I had so many questions, but I didn't even know where to start, like where were we? Why couldn't we remember anything? And what the hell was a greenie or a shank?

"You ok?" Ivan asked, clearly detecting my confusion.

"Yeah, I'm ok, I guess." I replied. I wanted to say something more when a boy walked up to us.

"Hey Greenies, I was told to settle you guys in." The boy said, he seemed nice, like he was genuinely interested in helping us.

"Oh, ok." Ivan responded

"Thanks." I said, giving the boy a smile.

"My name's Gally."

"I'm Ira."

"And I'm Ivan."

"You two look exactly alike." Gally said as he led us through the Glade.

"Yeah we've heard that." Ivan mumbled.

"Gally," I started, "why are there walls?"

"Listen, I can't answer any questions, I'm sorry… it's just Alby's dumb rules."

I nodded solemnly, not really understanding why, but just accepting it. Then, out of nowhere, a large rumbling sound filled the air, the ground began to shake, and for a fearful second I thought it was an earthquake. Ivan pulled me behind him as if he could protect me from whatever was happening.

"Calm down shanks, the doors are closing." Doors? I hadn't noticed before, but now I saw huge gaps in the walls… but the gaps were closing.

"What… what's outside the walls?" I asked quietly.

"Not now Greenie." Gally replied, "You'll know later."

"So there are these huge was that are closing us in here and you won't tell us what the hell they are for!" Ivan yelled. A few of the other Gladers heard him yelling and began to meander over.

"Calm down Greenie." Gally urged, "They're not my rules." Ivan still looked furious, so I stepped forward and placed my hand on his arm. He tensed slightly and the relaxed, holding up his hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry, you're right, I'll be patient." He replied.

"Good that." Gally said, "Lets keep moving." We continued on, going into a place they called the homestead. "Here are some toothbrushes and what not." Gally said. It suddenly dawned on me that because I was the first and only girl, they wouldn't have any… feminine products.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I swallowed my words and decided we would get to that later.

"Well it's getting pretty late, and you guys have had along day, so why don't you head off to bed." Gally suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Ivan agreed. Gally handed us each a sleeping bag and pillow, and motioned for us to follow him out of the homestead. Other Gladers had started laying down sleeping bags on the lawn, and settling down to go to bed.

"You can sleep anywhere on the lawn." Gally said, "I'm gunna leave you two now, I'll see you tomorrow." He gave me a small smile and a wave, then he turned around walking off towards some of his friends.

"Lets sleep over here," Ivan said motioning at a spot right on the edge of the forest area. We laid out sleeping bags on the ground, and settled down in them. The sky had grown very dark and sleepiness over took me quickly. I drifted off wondering about where I was and why I was there, but mostly I wondered about the boy lying next to breathing softly. Could he really be my brother? Secretly, I really hoped he was


	3. Chapter 2

**Ivan's POV**

"Greenie." Someone hissed, "Get up, ya shuck face."

I moaned and turned over on my stomach, shooing whoever was trying to wake me away.

"Get up now." The voice persisted. I opened my eyes and rolled back over. It was still dark out, and none of the Gladers were awake.

"What do you want?" I moaned.

It was Newt, fully dressed and wide-awake, "I need to show you something. Wake her up." He said, pointing to Ira.

"She had along day yesterday, let her sleep. I think I remember her hitting her head." I insisted, I don't know what it was, but I just felt like I should vouch for her.

"This is important, she needs to see this." Newt retorted

"It can wait." I growled. Maybe it was my tone of voice, or maybe Newt had a soft spot for Ira, but eventually he nodded and got up, motioning for me to follow him. We weaved through the sleeping boys, trying our best not to step on any of them; though that was near impossible.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we picked our way through the mounds of passed-out Gladers. Newt didn't answer, he just pressed on, leading me God knows where. Finally, we reached one of the walls of the Glade, Newt walked up to it, removing a single brick and revealing a small window type thing.

"Look out there." He ordered, I paused for a moment, not sure if I should listen or not. Newt seemed like a really nice guy, from what I could tell he was funny and laid back, but it was early and I was confused. Eventually, I got over my bad self and walked up to the window staring out of the Glade.

"What am I looking at?"

"Just wait a minute, Greenie." Newt whispered. I sighed but continued staring out the Glade; then I heard it. The clicking and scraping of mechanical legs against stone floor, a haunting creak and moan of mechanics echoed through the air, and a wretched beast stepped into my vision. It was huge, a bioengineered mix of a bulbous animal and a mechanical spider. It had metal appendages sticking out of it and it scuttled across the stone floor.

I yelped and jumped away from the window, "What the hell was that thing?" I demanded, "What's out there?"

"We call 'em Grievers." Newt said grimly.

"Grievers?"

"Their bloody beasts. They roam around outside the Glade, stinging Gladers every chance they get."

"Stinging?" I asked, growing more and more horrified.

Newt looked seemingly unfazed by my terrified facial expressions, "Outside of the Glade there is the Maze, it's… well… it's a maze, every morning the runners look for away out."

"Runners?" I asked once more, not really expecting an answer.

"You'll learn about the jobs and what not later, but the walls are about to open, and we need to get some breakfast." He sighed, "Lets go wake up your sister."

"We don't know if she is my sister." I shot, letting my temper get the best of me.

"If she isn't your sister, then she is your female clone, you guys are the bloody spitting image of each other."

I rolled my eyes and followed behind Newt, we headed over to Ira and as we walked the walls began to rumble open. I stopped for a second, watching as the gigantic stone barriers slid open, revealing the Maze. A group of 8 or so boys stood right next to the doors, stretching and bouncing on their toes. I could only assume they were the "runners", because when the doors were fully open, they took off into the Maze. I watched as a tall slender Asian boy gave the other runners directions and then turn and sprint off into the dark corridors of the Maze.

Then all of a sudden a scream ripped through the Glade; making my hands fly up to my ears and my eyes squeeze shut.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked Newt. A look of confusion filled his face; then terror replaced it. His hand raised and he pointed over the to the forest area were Ira and I slept the night before. I turned to see Ira sprinting through the Glade screaming like her pants were on fire, Alby, the leader (I think), was chasing her. My first thought was that he was trying to attack her or something, but then I looked closer and realized something, Ira's eyes were sealed shut; she wasn't awake.

"Stop her!" Alby commanded.

Newt and I ran towards them, I intercepted her, wrapping my arms around her tiny waste and pulling her into my chest. She wriggled around and continued screaming, her arms flailed wildly smacking me repeatedly in the face.

"Ira, calm down!" I ordered her.

"She's sleeping." Alby panted when he caught up to us. "I was going to wake her up when she started doing this."

"We need to calm her down before she hurts some one." New added. As if on cue, she broke free of my grasp and smacked me hard right in the face. I stumbled and reached out for her, but she was already gone. I watched, dumbfounded as the small girl took off sprinting, I didn't remember seeing anyone else run, but I knew that she was much faster than normal. She pressed on, sprinting right out of the Glade, slipping into the unforgiving Maze.

I lunged after her blindly, ready to plow through the Glade and get her back, but Alby and Newt reached out, grabbing my arms and holding me back.

"What the hell?" I screamed.

"She's way to fast, we won't catch her. We need to think strategically if we want to find her." Alby replied steadily. They gave me a second to breathe and eventually I calmed myself down enough to think straight.

"Holy shuck, that girl is fast." Newt whistled after I settled down, I glared at him and looked to Alby.

"We need to go after her soon, if she get's lost in that Maze, she's gone." Alby reminded us.

I nodded, trying not to let the bubbly panic that was forming in my throat take over my senses.

"I'll stay here and wait to see if any of the runners find her. Albs, why don't you take the Greenie, and go look for her." Newt suggested. Alby nodded grimly and motioned for me to follow him. We took off running into the Maze, grabbing a quick meal to take on the road. As we ran into the Maze, I found myself hoping beyond hope that Ira was ok, wishing that she was still with me.

**Ira's POV**

I felt my bare feet slapping against the ground before I even saw where I was. I snapped my eyes open and continued on, thinking to my self that there must be some reason to explain why I was running. Once my feet started to burn and salty sweat stung my eyes I slowed to a halt, bending over to catch my breath. I did a quick scan of my surroundings looking for a clue as to where I was. It to a while for it to strike me; I had literally no idea where I was or how I had gotten there.

_I just need to think, I can get out of this situation._

I swivelled around, trying to find which way I had come, but I couldn't figure it out. Panic rose into me throat, forcing me to fall to the ground pulling my knees up to my chest and trying to clear my mind. I was in some sort of labyrinth, a network of walls and pathways. I needed to find a way back to the place I was in last night.

I couldn't think of anything, nothing came across my mind and it was starting to get to me. My eyes began to fill with tears that blurred my vision, I couldn't take it anymore; I got up and took off running. I didn't know where I was going, but I couldn't just sit and wait for nothing.

As I ran I remembered my dream from the night before: two brown haired kids forcing others into a box, they pushed them all in and sealed it so no one could get out. I remember them pushing in some of the boys I met last night, like Newt, Alby and some Asian kid. When they got to Ivan, I couldn't take it anymore, dream-me tore through them jumping into the box after Ivan, but then dream-me was trapped. After that I woke up and found myself completely lost in a maze.

I ran blindly for a long time, turning randomly and pressing on; just when I didn't think I could go any longer, I crashed into something hard. It took me a second to realize I didn't run into some_thing_, I ran into some_one._ Two hands fell onto my shoulders, helping me regain my balance, my eyes wandered up the chiseled chest of the boy, stopping when they reached his brown eyes. It was the Asian boy I had seen the night before, I wiped my eyes quickly and opened my mouth to say something, but he beat me to it.

"What the shuck are you doing out here? And also, who the shuck are you?" He ordered. He sounded angry, and maybe a little… concerned?

I was so relieved to have found someone, that when I attempted to speak again, my words bubbled into sobs and I began crying again. I slumped to the ground and let the sobs rack my body.

"Oh shuck it," The boy sighed, he knelt down next to me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It's ok, let's get you out of here, ok?"

I nodded, and took a deep breath letting him help me to my feet. I took one step forward and collapsed with exhaustion.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, darkness rolling into my vision "I've… for… I've been running for so long and… I –"

"It's fine." He assured me, I tried to stand again, but my head ponded and I doubled over once more. He bent down and scooped me up in his arms, being careful not to jostle me around. Then, he took off running through the maze, as he moved on, I fell asleep in his arms, thanking whatever God there may be that I hadn't been lost out there.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I don't own the Maze runner or any of the characters, I only own Ira and Ivan. Please read and review! I'll update soon**

**Ivan's POV**

Alby and I searched the Maze for hours; restlessly scanning for any sign of Ira. We left the labyrinth when Alby reminded me that there was only 20 minutes before the doors were going to close. When we got back, I was more than furious at Ira for running, and myself for not being able to catch her.

"Greenie, calm down, she'll be fine." Alby ensured me, but his eyes told me he was lying.

"People don't survive in the Maze, do they?" I asked quietly, my voice dripping with rage. He opened his mouth to respond, but then shut it quickly, casting his eyes downwards. "She's gone, isn't she?" my voice broke and I didn't even wait for a reply. I ran off to the forest where I had slept the night before. I didn't slow down until I was sure no one was following me; then I collapsed the ground and shut my eyes.

_Why do I care so much for this girl? I don't even know her._

Every part of me told me that was wrong, I did know her. She was my sister; she had to be.

I shook my head and buried it in my hands, trying to remember anything about her, but I blanked completely. I sat like that for a long time, desperately clawing for any memory of her, anything that might help me find her.

"Greenie?" a voice called, making me lose my train of thought. I turned around, prepared to strangle whoever was interrupting my failing attempts to save Ira.

"What?" I spat.

"Whoah, calm down," It was Newt, with Alby close on his heels. "You sound like a buggin serial killer."

"I'm sorry, I'm just worried about Ira." I admitted

"Well worry no more, we found her." Alby said, his face wore a devilish grin.

I jumped to my feet, "Where is she?"

"Follow me."

Newt and Alby took off running, and I followed suit, staying right on their heels. They led me to the doors that had just started to close. As I drew closer, I noticed a small crowd centered around the doors.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"We can see her and Minho outside the doors, they need to hurry up or else they'll get shut out!" Alby informed me.

I pushed through the people, making my way to the front. Outside the Glade, through the dark corridor, I could see the Asian boy, Minho, with Ira in his arms. I sighed in relief, but then a small bit of anger poked its way into my mind.

_Who is this kid carrying Ira?_

I shook it off, reminding myself that he had saved her, and then directed my attention to the doors, which had just begun to close.

"They need to hurry up." I said to no one in particular.

"C'mon Minho!" Newt yelled. Some of the boys started yelling encouragements as well, and Minho picked up the pace, squeezing through the doors just as they shut. Minho slowed to a halt and in a rasped breath said, "I found this."

I wanted to ask a million questions, but instead I just took Ira from the boy and laid her on the ground.

She looked very pale, as if she was sick, her feet were bloody and her face was covered in dirt and sweat. Minho didn't look much better himself, he collapsed to the ground, pulling in ragged breaths and ordering Gladers to get him some "shucking" water.

Other than her feet, Ira looked fine, but I was really worried about what made her run. What does someone see when they're sleeping that makes them run faster than the speed of light itself?

"How'd you find her?" Newt asked once Minho had gotten some water.

"Lucky shank ran right into me while I was taking a break. We started to go back and she collapsed right onto the ground, I carried her all the way back. By the way, it would've been nice to have a little heads up, maybe a 'Oh, Minho, there's a girl in the glade'. Then maybe I wouldn't have klunked my pants when she ran into me."

"I'm sorry, must've slipped my mind." Newt smirked.

"_Anyways_," Alby cut in, "Ivan, why don't you come with me, we'll take her to the medjack and get her feet fixed up."

"Alby, what was it that was making her run?" Minho asked as we got up to leave.

"Don't know, but from the look on her face and the way she ran, I can tell I don't want to know."

Ira woke up just a few hours later; I was sitting by her bed in the homestead, when she shot upright, gasping for air.

"Are you ok?" I asked, reaching out and grabbing her arm.

She slowed her breaths and slumped back into the bed, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You scared me today." I admitted.

"I'm sorry, I don't even remember why I was running, I just opened my eyes and I was lost."

"Well, it's ok, you're here now."

"Yeah, thank God for that boy, Minho."

I laughed a bit and looked away, not wanting to show how concerned I was for her.

"I'm really sorry, Ivan. I didn't mean to scare you."

"What scared you so much?" I asked, returning my gaze to her eyes. It was her turn to look away, breaking eye contact with me and casting her eyes downwards.

"It was just a nightmare." She lied.

"Ira, I might not remember anything, but I know you are lying, it wasn't just a bad dream, was it?"

She sighed and looked my in the eyes, her green hues widening as she remembered what had made her so terrified, "I dreamed- I dreamed that people had forced us all into this box, when they began forcing you, I attacked them and I was sent into the box as well."

I nodded, taking it in, but not really understanding.

"I think it was a twisted memory, I think it was telling me something." She clarified.

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure, I just have a feeling." Her face dropped, and the brightness that usually filled her eyes had subsided.

"Get some rest, I think they're giving us the tour tomorrow."

"I've been sleeping all day."

"Well sleep some more."

Ira's POV

Despite Ivan's orders to get some sleep, I slipped out of bed and wandered off into the Glade. It was dark out, and some of the Gladers were already asleep. The bandages on my feet dampened as they patted against the damp grass, and the coolness made me shiver.

"Ira?" Some one called from behind me. I whipped around and saw Gally walking up to me carrying some food.

"Hey Gally." I said.

"I was just coming to bring you dinner, but I guess your awake now. Wanna eat with me?"

"Sure, thanks Gally."

He handed me a plate of food and I dropped to the ground, digging in to the delicious dinner of meat and potatoes.

"Wow, someone's starving." Gally whistled, taking a seat next to me.

"Well I was tirelessly running in circles for a few hours." I joked.

"How was that?"

"Oh, it was fine, I think I might make it a habit." We both laughed at that, and continued on making jokes about the little fiasco that occurred that day.

"I have to get some sleep, you should to." Gally said later, taking my plate and helping me to my feet.

"See ya tomorrow, Gally."

"See ya tomorrow, Ira."

I did want some rest, but I had something important to do first. I looked around a bit, until I spotted the Asian boy, Minho, eating dinner on the grass. Newt and Alby were sitting by him; they seemed deep in conversation, so I didn't want to bother them. I turned to walk back to the homestead, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Newt and Alby get up to leave. I knew I needed to go thank my savior, so I mustered up the courage and turned on my heels, heading straight towards the boy.

"Hey," I said as I walked up to him.

"Oh, hey. It's Ira, right?" He asked, "It's weird to see you not passed out."

I nodded, and sat down next to him, "About that, I just wanted to thank you for, you know… saving my life."

"I couldn't let a pretty lil' thing like you die in the Maze." He sneered.

I flinched at his comment and bit my tongue, forcing my self to not say anything about me not being a "lil' thing".

"Well um, thanks." I said and started to stand up.

_Obviously he is not very open to conversation._

"Wait." He called to me. "I'm sorry, that was mean. I mean, you are pretty- but that's not the point. I'm sure you could handle yourself just fine if you knew where you were going."

"Really?" I asked, sitting back down.

"Yeah, I mean, you were super shuckin fast, and you managed to get away from Newt, Alby, and Ivan."

I laughed a bit and smiled, "Yeah, well I did apparently punch Ivan in the face."

"Really? Ha, he's the first dude I know to be punched by a girl."

"Can I ask you something?" I said when we stopped laughing.

"Sure."

"What do all these words mean? Like 'shank' and 'shuck' and 'klunk'."

"Oh," he chuckled. "When we first came here, Alby banned cursing, so we made up these code words to get around the rule."

Minho and I continued on chatting, we laughed about jokes some of the other Gladers had him and he shared stories of the Glade before Ivan and I showed up. Before I knew it, my eyelids were slumping and I laid my head on the ground. Minho had grown silent, and for a second I thought he was asleep, his breaths were calm and soothing.

"Minho?" I tried.

"Yeah?" He whispered after a few seconds.

"I just wanted to say thanks again, you really did save me."

"You're welcome, Ira, I'm glad I did." He replied.

"I'm glad you did to."

"Goodnight Ira."

"Goodnight Minho."

I turned over and fell asleep with a smile on my face.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry it took me so long to update, I've been traveling for football (or soccer, whatever you want to call it) and I didn't have the time to write. Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it, Please read and Review! **

**Disclaimer: I only own Ira and Ivan and the storyline (in some aspects) the rest belongs to our beloved James Dashner.**

Ira's POV

My eyelids fluttered open just as Minho was standing up.

"Where are you going?" I asked quietly.

"Shhhh, you still have a little longer to sleep. I have to go, because I'm a runner."

"A runner?"

"Go to sleep Ira, I'll see you later."

With that my eyelids drooped shut and I returned to dreamland.

"Greenie, get up." Some one hissed, shaking me roughly.

"Go away." I moaned

"You have to take the bloody tour today, so wake up!"

"Fine, fine." My vision cleared, and I saw a very tired looking Newt, his eyes were dark and his hair was a mess. I sat up, stretching my arms and letting out a long yawn.

"Oh c'mon sleeping beauty, we don't have all buggin' day." Newt chuckled, I rolled my eyes and stood up, I ran my fingers through my hair, attempting to comb out the knots.

"I need a hair brush Newt," I sighed pointing to my crazy mane, "I can't live like this much longer."

"Aw Greenie, I think it's cute." He smirked.

"Newt, please?"

"Fine, there should be one in the bathrooms, but hurry, we really do need to get started. Meet me in the kitchen when you're done." He flashed me a killer smile and shooed me off.

With that I ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. As I searched for a hairbrush, I realized that I didn't even know what I looked like; I paused my search and walked over to a mirror.

As I peered into the grime-coated mirror, I was shocked about how much I looked liked Ivan. We had the same features, just mine we softer… more feminine. We both had brilliant green eyes and freckles that dotted our cheeks, my hair was light blonde, and it hung loosely below my shoulder blades.

I pulled my gaze from the mirror, reminding myself that I was on a mission. I found a small brown hairbrush and began the process of dragging it through my blonde jungle. After a few excruciatingly painful minutes, I deemed my hair acceptable, but I knew it would be annoying me all day, so I desperately looked for a way to tie it back. I left the bathroom with my hair held back in a loose braid and secured with a piece of string.

It's funny; I had no idea what my last name was, or what my parents' faces looked like, yet my hands seamlessly knew how to braid my hair without me having to even think about it.

I spotted Newt sitting at a table as I walked into the kitchen, he was chatting with Alby, Gally, Ivan, and a few other boys I didn't know. "Greenie!" He called turning away from his conversation and sending me another smile, "I already got you a plate."

"Thanks." I replied as I took a seat across from him.

"Don't mention it, but eat quick, we've got a lot to do today." I turned to Ivan and raised a questioning brow, silently asking if he knew what was going on. A subtle shake of his head told me he was as much in the dark as I was, I decided not to worry about it, and dug into my breakfast. I didn't realize how ravenously hungry I was until I looked down at the licked clean plate.

"Looks like we're ready." Ivan said.

"Good that." Newt remarked, "See ya in a bit, slintheads." He said waving to the others at the table. He turned, his brown eyes twinkling and his hand beckoning me to follow. "C'mon love, time to figure out the Glade."

This was my second full day in the Glade, but I had literally no idea where I was going or what I was seeing.

"There's no easy way to start these things, but no questions until. Stupid rule… I know, but Alby is in charge, and he made it, I'm not gunna question it."

I nodded, not really listening to what he was saying but taking in the enormity of the Glade.

"There are 7 sections, or jobs, there's the baggers, the track-hoes, the medjacks, the builders, the cooks, the sloppers, the gardeners, and the runners. Each job has a keeper and a purpose, tomorrow you will start a week long process of trying out each job except runner."

"How do you become a runner?" I quipped.

"No questions until the end Greenie." Newt said with a grin, as if he found my confusion funny.

I rolled my eyes and trudged on through the Glade, only half listening as Newt continued on about the jobs.

"You'll try out every job this week, a new one each day… so that we can see what you're best at."

We walked by a green meadow where boys were working, tirelessly pulling up weeds and watering different plants. I took in a deep breath, I guess I loved the smell of gardens. Suddenly, a splitting pain shot through my head, and I fell to the ground.

"Ira?" Ivan called, but something was over taking my vison, and I threw my hands to my ears, trying to get it out. An image, more like a video, flashed through my mind. It was a young girl with light blonde hair and bright green eyes… it was me, she walked through a field with grass so high it tickled her ribs.

_Ivan, come out I'm scared? _She called, a boy, younger Ivan I assumed, revealed him self in the grass.

_Ira, if your scared then we can't play. _Young Ivan informed young me.

_Ha! _I exclaimed, _I got you! _I lurched forward and tapped the boy on his stomach.

_That doesn't count Lair. _Ivan whined, but I was already gone, whizzing through the field and ignoring his cries, ordering me to stop.

I was running barefoot as fast as I could, not daring to look back to see if Ivan was following behind, I could here his snapping twigs and stomping behind me. I tripped over my own feet and crashed to the ground. Ivan fell over me and rolled on the ground next to me.

I turned over so that I was facing him and began laughing hysterically, he stuck out his tongue at first, but slowly he caught my infections giggles and started a riot of his own. We laid there, heaving our shoulders up and down, hiccupping in uncontrollable laughter.

"She in a bloody trance." I heard some one say, a hand fell onto my upper arm, pulling me from the hazy memory. My head snapped up and I realised that I was siting on the ground with my knees pulled up to my chest and my eyes squeeze shut. I let my eyelids flutter open, and I met Newt's gaze, the boy was crouched in front of me, his hand still on my shoulder.

"There she is!" He chuckled as I focused on his face, his thick accent and wicked smile made my lips turn up ever so slightly. "Had us a little worried there, Greenie."

Ivan knelt down beside me as well, "What happened?" He asked, his own green eyes filled with worry.

"I-it was a memory… I think." I stammered. "Of you and me, as kids."

"You have memories?" Newt asked, raising and eyebrow.

"Just the one…" I trailed, clinging to the reality, not wanting to slip back in to that dream state.

Newt opened his mouth, prepared to ask me more question, but Ivan stepped in and offered me his hand, "Give 'er a break Newt, it looked like that was a pretty bad headache."

The British boy sighed and nodded, motioning for us to get back on our feet. "Well that was pretty much the whole tour anyways, so I guess you should go take a walk or something, clear you head."

IVAN'S POV

I walked behind Ira as she trailed through the dense forest on the outskirts of the Glade. The way she gazed at the tall trees in amazement made me smile, she was so easily impressed by little things. I had to admit, I was a little worried about her, they way her face twisted as she crumpled to the ground when the memory came back to her… it was horrifying.

"This place is so beautiful." She hummed, stretching out her arms to fiddle with a tree branch. Her light hair reflected the light, and made a glowing aura around her.

"Yeah, I guess it is." I muttered. She stopped abruptly, causing me to run in her and stumble backwards.

"I think I shouldn't be here, Ivan." She blurted out suddenly. She seemed worried, scared that she didn't belong.

"None of us should _be _here, but we are, and there's nothing we can do but help the Gladers look for a way out." I placed my hand on her shoulder in an attempt to clam her down, but she shrugged it off.

"No, I think you all are here for a purpose, but I get this feeling that…" She trailed off and gazed out at the lumbering stonewalls. "This all— it doesn't fit together. Every month for a year they have gotten one boy "Greenie" and now there are two and ones a girl. And- and I have had these memories and no one else has and- " She was getting worked up, I could tell by the way her cheeks flamed red and her green eyes shook.

"Ira, calm down. You're here, it doesn't matter how or why, you are here, trapped like the rest of us. I know that doesn't sound any better but you don't need to worry about being different." I tried to comfort her once more; she surrendered to me and fell against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her small shoulders and held her close. Her chest heaved and I realized that she was crying. I opened my mouth, trying to manifest some comforting words, but I just pulled her closer and let her cry in my arms.

A few minutes later she slowed her breathing and broke away from me, wiping her eyes with the hem of her shirt.

"Sorry," She whispered.

"I'm always here for you, always." I replied. Once again I found myself wanting to ay more, but she turned away from me and dropped my gaze.

"It's crazy, this is all so weird." She whispered.

"Yeah, but I don't remember anything different, so I guess in some ways… it is the only normal thing in our lives."

"What job do you want?" She asked, changing the subject completely.

"I don't know." I shrugged, "I guess maybe a builder, I'm pretty strong… I think."

She snickered at that, making my cheeks turn red. "What? You're doubting me?"

"Well…" she implied.

"I'll prove it." In one swift motion I grabbed her in my arms and lifted her onto my back fireman style.

"Ivan!" She shrieked, laughing wildly.

"Think I'm strong now?"

"Put me down!" She began pounding on my back playfully, but I refused to let her go, swinging her around like she was a weightless sack flower. After she stopped laughing I placed her back on the ground and raised my eyebrow. "yes, you are very strong." She scoffed, letting a smile take over her face. It was so bright and beautiful, and I promised my self then that I'd do anything to keep that look on her face.

She was my little sister, and nobody would hurt her.


End file.
